Life brings plenty of ups and downs. Sometimes it seems the downs come all at once, threatening to overwhelm us. But we all have an innate capacity to cope well through tough times. Understanding emotions as natural feedback guides rather than fixed realities empowers us. Simple healthy habits also build resilience from the inside out, creating an emotional bedrock to weather life’s storms.
Tune Into Your Emotions
We often dismiss emotions as irrational reactions that distort reality or should not affect us. But they exist for good reason, signaling what we need or value. Suppressing them takes a toll on mental and physical health. Emotions only become problems when we let them overrun better judgment or get stuck in loops.
See emotions as advisors, not dictators. They represent current states rather than the ultimate truth about a situation. This helps put them in perspective, rather than buying into emotional reasoning like. Recognize the transient nature of even intense emotions like grief, frustration, insecurity or hopelessness. Say to yourself, “this too shall pass”. Know that just by witnessing them, difficult emotions often crest quickly. According to the good folk over at Maloca Sound, breathwork also helps emotions peak then recede by altering nervous system responses.
How to Build Resilience
Having resilience means navigating setbacks and struggles without getting derailed long term. Resilient people still feel stress, grief or fear sometimes, but they trust these states will improve and life holds better times. Building resilience relies on habits supporting overall mental and physical health like:
- Stay hydrated – Dehydration exacerbates anxiety, mood swings and poor concentration. Sip water regularly and choose fluids like herbal tea to soothe nerves.
- Prioritize sleep – Emotional resilience depends on slumber to consolidate memories and regulate mood. Make seven to nine hours nightly non-negotiable.
- Keep moving – Just 30 minutes of walking most days boosts blood flow while reducing anxiety and depression. Yoga stretching and focused breathing calms the nervous system.
- Practice mindfulness – Notice emotions non-judgmentally, then refocus your attention on the present. This lets feelings pass through without resisting or exaggerating them. Regular mindful awareness builds resilience over time by structurally changing emotion regulation circuits in the brain.
- Seek counseling if needed – Sometimes trauma, loss, anxiety, or depression temporarily overwhelm our coping capacity no matter how resilient we usually are. Counseling helps sort through intense emotions to regain resilience. Know that asking for support takes great strength.
How to Rebound from Hard Times
Resilience isn’t about avoiding hardship altogether or suppressing reactions. Life will inevitably include loss, unexpected change, conflict, failures, and other troubles. Truly resilient people feel the full pain and disappointment of adversities, too. But they have trained mental reflexes through past challenges to maintain hope and tap their inner resolve. With practice, anyone can build these habits of resilience:
- Name it – Identify contributing emotions you’re experiencing like anger, hurt, fear, or inadequacy. This helps release their intensity rather than ignoring dark feelings.
- Accept it – Resistance to reality only brings more suffering. Accept the situation has occurred without blaming. Social support helps in grieving loss or feeling victimized.
- Learn from it – Reflect on any lessons, boundaries or values to clarify going forward. Did you lose track of priorities or ignore red flags? Every experience offers growth potential.
Conclusion
With concerted effort, we can all learn to flex with circumstances while bouncing back after life knocks us down now and then. Practicing healthy lifestyle habits allows natural emotional resilience to emerge. Staying grounded in each present moment while keeping the bigger picture in mind helps ensure that no matter what comes, your inner light stays bright.
